Customer Support

You name it, we’ll address it

What types of smartphones support the PunchPie App?

The PunchPie mobile app is supported on all Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) running iOS version 6 and above as well as all Android devices running version 4.0 and above. Since 4.0 was released late in 2011, this will work on most android phones sold since that time. Apple and Android together represent over 92% of smartphones in use in the US.

My customer is willing to use the PunchPie App but doesn’t want to have to remember another logon account because they already have too many. What should I tell them?

It is not mandatory, yet it is a good idea, to have customers log into the PunchPie App. The easiest way to do this, without having to remember yet another username and password, is to log in with Facebook assuming they already have a Facebook account. You can assure your customer that PunchPie will NEVER post anything to Facebook by using the Facebook logon method. If the customer is not a Facebook user, they can also create an account with PunchPie by tapping on the ‘No account? Sign up’ button as well.

I already have a loyal customer base and know them all by name. Why would I need a Loyalty program like PunchPie?

Many merchants know that a successful business breeds competition and so by rewarding loyal customers, merchants now have another tool to retain their customer base even in hard times and times of increased competition. Also using the PunchPie Live Deals, there is an opportunity to provide special promotions during slower periods to try to increase business as well. Live Deals are seen by your loyal customers as well as all other PunchPie users in the area.

Do I have to worry about integrating PunchPie to my Point of Sale (POS) system?

The simple answer is NO. PunchPie was designed from the ground up so that it works independent of POS systems so no integration is necessary. The PunchPie Merchant Dashboard gives full visibility into all aspects of the program. In fact, there are no new hardware requirements to get set up and running. All that is required is any type of PC or Mac with any web browser and Internet access and about 10-15 minutes to create the store in the PunchPie mobile App.

My customer wants to load the PunchPie App on their phone while in the store and is asking to get on my WiFi network because they are concerned about data charges. What do you recommend?

Both the Apple and Android version of the App are VERY small (2.3 and 3.1 Megabytes respectively), so downloading it in the store using a carrier data plan will take a very small portion of monthly allowance and also be very quick. To put it in perspective, the size of the App is about the size of one photo taken from a smartphone.

What benefits do customers get by logging into the App as opposed to just using PunchPie with no user login?

There are 4 main benefits to either creating an account directly with PunchPie or logging in using Facebook credentials. 1) By having an account, all your Punches and Points are saved if you upgrade your phone or if your phone is lost or stolen and you restore it; 2) You can access your account totals from multiple devices; 3)Businesses can reach out to you through the PunchPie app with special deals only available to loyal customers; 4) If your favorite stores are not yet on PunchPie, you can suggest them to us and we’ll do our best to get them on board.

I noticed that a shop that competes with me already signed up with PunchPie. Why would I want to sign up too? Wouldn’t that just be helping them out?

PunchPie is really a community based app that works even better when more people download and use the App. Even if a competitor of yours in the community starts using PunchPie, it means that there will be a larger base of users to draw from. When your store becomes part of the PunchPie program, you will have a broader and trained user base that will help jumpstart the program at your location.

I don’t feel comfortable using my credit card to pay for this service. If a major store chain can be hacked, how can you keep my information safe?

PunchPie uses Braintree (a PayPal company) to handle all of the online credit/debit card processing. All transaction data is encrypted and Braintree is fully PCI compliant. For more details on the specifics of the security features, go to Braintree. As of late 2013, Braintree was processing over $12B in transactions.

How can I tell if there is sufficient phone service at the store location to use this app reliably?

When you are at the location in question, power on your smartphone and look at the very top of the display next to the name of your carrier (AT&T in this example from and iPhone). Right after the carrier name you should see either ‘LTE’, ‘4G’, or ‘3G’. In all cases this will be more than enough data service. If you see ‘E’, it will still work but may be a little slower. If there is nothing showing after the carrier name, there is no data service for that carrier on this phone at that location at that particular time.

When the PunchPie App is opened and I tap on the Nearby tab on the bottom, how are the stores ordered in the list showing? Also, why are some green and some have a green flame on the right?

Every place with a light green background is a participating PunchPie location. The PunchPie merchants within a 50 mile radius are always listed at the top. Stores with a white background are nearby but not currently participating in the PunchPie program. Within each list (participating and non-participating), merchants are listed in order of proximity to the phone’s current location. So, if you are in a store and that store is participating in PunchPie, it will be at the top of the list. Every merchant where you have accumulated punches or points will have the PunchPie flame showing on the right. If you only want to see locations where you have collected punches or points, tap on the My Pies tab and only those will show. Tapping the History button will show all punch/point and redemptions done at that location.

My business is using another loyalty program. How can I switch to PunchPie without my customers losing points already collected on that system?

For businesses that are using paper card systems, when the customer switches over to PunchPie, have them surrender their card (or cards) and do a 1 time authorization that equals the amount on their existing cards plus any new purchases. Those paper cards should now be discarded and the person would use PunchPie from here forward. If some people don’t want to part with their paper cards, you can choose to continue running that program in parallel for as long or short as you see fit.

What if I want to cancel the service. Am I locked in or can I just cancel?

If you choose a month by month plan, you can cancel at any time and your service will stop at the end of your current billing period. If you chose the yearly plan with the 20% discount for prepaying, then cancellation will take effect at the end of the yearly billing period. You can switch from monthly billing to the annual plan at any time.